Edhel (Earth-4552)
The Edhel '''were the first and oldest of the Children of Ilúvatar and are considered to be the fairest and wisest race given sapience by Eru Ilúvatar and inhabit Nirn. Background The Edhel were the first children of Eru, the One, whom they called Ilúvatar. They are not subject to disease or physical aging, though they could be killed by violence or by wasting away and losing the will to live. They were otherwise essentially immortal. When harmed or injured, their blood is revealed to be silver. In their overwal appearance, they looked pretty much like a normal Men, more specifically the Nords, but possessed longer hair, almost universally bright eyes and pointy ears. Some, known afterward as the Calaquendi (elves of the light), were brought by the Valar from Middle-Earth to Valinor across the Narrow Sea, where they were taught by the Ainur. But after the Silmarils were stolen by Melkor, some of the Elves returned to Middle-Earth, where they remained until the end of the Third Age. History Origins The Firstborn, the Elder Children of Ilúvatar, conceived by Eru alone in the third theme of Ainulindalë, the eldest and noblest of the speaking races of Arda. They awoke by Cuiviénen, the Water of Awakening in the far east of Middle-Earth, in the starlight of the Sleep of Yavanna, as the Sun and Moon had yet to be created. The first Elves to awake were three pairs: Imin ("First") and his wife Iminyë, Tata ("Second") and Tatië, and Enel ("Third") and Enelyë. Awakening Imin, Tata, and Enel and their wives joined up and walked through the forests. They came across six, nine, and twelve pairs of Elves, and each "patriarch" claimed the pairs as his folk in order. The now sixty Elves dwell by the rivers, and they invented poetry and music in Aman. Journeying further, they came across a band of Elves watching the stars, which Tata claims as his. These were tall and dark-haired, the fathers of most of the Ñoldor. The ninety-six Elves now invented many new words. Continuing their journey, they find twenty-four pairs of Elves, singing without language, and Enel added them to his people. These were the ancestors of most of the Lindar or "singers", later called Teleri. They found no more Elves; Imin's people, the smallest group, were the ancestors of the Vanyar. All in all they numbered 144. Because all Elves had been found in groups of twelve, twelve becomes their base number and 144 their highest number (for a long time). None of the later Elvish languages had a common name for a greater number. Characteristics '''Edhel, like Atani, are Children of Eru Ilúvatar and thus are very similar to them. Unlike Men, however, they are immortal, in that their bodies do not age once they have reached maturity, so that they do not seem to become elderly or die of old age. They can be killed by physical injury however, or they may come to death from wasting away if after long eons of life they lose the will to live. Some Elves in the First Age living near Angband died from a wasting disease, which was presumably issuing from Thangorodrim, Morgoth's fortress. The Elves came into existence before Men, and when Elves die they pass to the Halls of Mandos in Valinor. After a long period of waiting, the Elf (unless unwilling to return to life or judged a perpetrator of unforgivable crimes) will be reincarnated into a new body. Another one of their physical differences from Men are the blood colors, while Men bleed red blood, the Elves bleed silver blood. Elves are unusually handsome of face and body. They have far better vision and hearing than Men. They also have skills and abilities beyond what is possible for Men, and many can craft seemingly magical objects. The Elves are indeed closest in kin to the Ainur, given that Elves possess ethereal grace and various powers. Elves are light of foot, can travel long distances without leaving tracks, and often can walk lightly across snow where the boots of Men would sink. They don't require sleep, but are able to enter a waking meditative state to regain their strength. Category:Earth-4552 Category:Races (Earth-4552) Category:Elves (Earth-4552) Category:Created by Draft227